


Comfort

by fangirl2013



Series: The White Queen Tumblr Prompts [8]
Category: The White Queen (TV)
Genre: F/M, Love, kiss, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2018-01-09 02:11:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1140213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl2013/pseuds/fangirl2013
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: Anne kisses Robert Brackenbury only to be caught by Richard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prompt I got asked to do. "When Richard is dancing with Elizabeth and Anne, she starts to doubt Richard (after he told her its not true) and confides in Francis or Robert. In a moment of weakness they kiss which Richard walks in on. I want Richard jealous so he realises that he is loosing Anne"- Anonymous.

Everything about her husband seemed to tell Anne that Richard had lied. The smile on his face as gazed to the women in front of him, the way his hand was positioned on the small of her back, and even the way he talked to her. It all seemed to be so intimate. Despite the fact everyone’s attention was on them, to Anne, they barely seem to notice.   
As much as it pained her to look at them dancing, she couldn't bear to tear her eyes away from them. Anne wanted to notice something, no matter how small, that told her that Richard still loved her. 

The longer she gazed at them, however, the more tortured she appeared to get. Anne tried not to notice the looks the courtiers were giving her but as the time passed; she could almost feel their gazes burning into her. 

Only once had Richard looked to his wife. It hadn’t lasted long but he didn’t look as happy as he had done. As much as Anne tried to take comfort in his simple action, she could not do so. Almost immediately after, she noticed the smile adorning Elizabeth’s face. How could he not love her? She who was young and completely beautiful? Everything Anne knew she was not. 

Tears clogged at her throat as she realised that her hope was futile and unwilling to let her tears fall with surrounded by people, she abruptly left the hall.   
The sound of her footsteps as she walked seemed to pound in her ears and before she knew it, the tears she had held at bay finally broke through. As each sob racked her body, it became harder for her to continue to walk. 

Her thoughts were, of course, on Richard. Being loved by Richard was something she had always dreamed of but the pain of losing him was something she didn’t know she couldn’t deal with. With that thought still on her mind, she was stopped by a voice. 

“Lady Anne?” Robert Brackenbury’s voice almost echoed down the hall and it took a few moments, before realised that the voice belonged to him. 

He seemed to quicken his pace, slightly as he noticed the state she appeared to be in. The sympathetic expression which adorned the man’s face almost made Anne stop crying immediately. Being pitied by a man she had known almost as long as her husband wasn’t something she relished. 

“Are you alright?” Sympathy was the only thing Anne could register in his question and as she gazed at Robert, she knew he felt sorry for her. 

His question, however, did urge her to stop crying. It seemed to remind her that she didn’t want his pity. As Anne contemplated how to answer him, she came to a loss as to what to say. Realising that her husband no longer loved her was one thing but acknowledging it someone else was entirely different.

Swallowing deeply, Anne started to answer him. 

“Of course, Sir Robert.” The confidence in her words amazed even herself but as she looked to Robert, she knew she hadn’t fooled him in the slightest. If anything, the look of sympathy on his face seemed to intensify. 

Although, Anne had stopped crying to answer him, she couldn’t help but want to continue by the expression on his face. 

Perhaps he realised this and he edged closer to her. As much as Anne wanted some sort of comfort, she didn’t want someone to see her break down. Robert continued to come closer to her, stopping almost an arm’s length away from her. He seemed to search her face for some sign that what he was going to do was welcome, and once he had found that, he ushered her into his arms. 

For a moment or two, Anne seemed to stiffen in Robert’s arms. The comforting feeling of being in his arms felt odd to her and for a few moments, she couldn’t help but think hugging him was a mistake. 

When, however, she realised why the hug felt odd, she started embracing him back. She tried to forget how it had felt to be in Richard’s arms as the comparison was too painful but instead, tried to let the comforting feeling of being in Robert’s arms overwhelm her. 

Looking up to Robert, she couldn’t help but feel grateful towards him. 

“I’m sorry you needed to do that, Sir Robert.” Her sincerity seemed to seep into her words and it seemed almost immediately once she had said it, there was a frown on Robert’s face.

“There’s no need to apologize, my lady. I’m happy to be of some help to you.” Robert seemed rather uncomfortable as he told her this but Anne knew he was telling the truth.   
Anne felt herself smiling, softly, at his words and as she gazed at Robert, she couldn’t help but feel thankful. The feeling of being in his arms was no longer odd or unusual but rather comforted and not quite so alone. 

His gaze was still on her and for some reason; her own was held by the concerned expression in them. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, especially, as she noticed the intensity of how he was looking at her. 

As she leaned towards him, she knew what she was going to do was wrong but she didn’t stop herself. She wanted to forget about Richard and the feelings that were currently tormenting her heart. Instead, she wanted to immerse herself in someone else. 

It was Robert’s turn to stiffen against Anne as he felt her lips softly brush against his own. He knew it was wrong to react to the kiss but the feeling of fire in stomach seemed to intensify as the kiss deepened. 

Anne had wanted to forget everything she had been feeling but she couldn’t do that in the kiss. Whilst Robert was reacting to it, bringing her closer to him, Anne was becoming more tormented by the second. 

The feeling of his lips upon her own not only felt wrong but they also filled her with guilt. Instead of feeling some sort of escape, she couldn’t help but compare the feeling of Richard’s lips caressing her own and that of Robert.

As they broke apart wanting air, Anne felt relieved. They were both too embarrassed to notice a third person’s presence and they only seemed to, once Richard had spoken. 

“Unhand my wife, Brackenbury!” Richard demanded, tersely, his gaze pointedly on the two people in front of him.

The sight of Anne in another man’s arms not only seemed to fill Richard’s stomach dread but the anger raging through him seemed limitless. So much so, that he surprised himself. 

Anne felt sick with guilt as she heard Richard’s words. It seemed Robert felt something similar as his guilt was written across his face. Anne was beginning to sense Richard was becoming angrier by the second and so she started to move away from Robert. 

Richard’s pained gaze was entirely on Anne as moved away from Robert. She could sense the accusation and pain in his gaze and in that moment, she wanted nothing more than pour her heart out. 

“You grace…” Robert started to speak, sounding unsure and wary. 

From the moment, Richard had heard the other man began to speak, he turned his withering gaze upon him. Apart of Richard wanted to yell at them both but as he looked at his wife; he knew that wouldn’t help their marriage. 

That, of course, didn’t stop his tone from being sharp when he answered him. 

“I will speak to you later. Get out of my sight!” Richard’s anger seemed to get the better of him as looked to Robert and so he couldn’t help but shout. 

The look Robert shot Anne not only seemed to be noticed by Richard but it also made Anne feel even guiltier. Being alone in Richard’s presence seemed to remind Anne of the pain she had tried to forget and so when Richard began to speak, Anne’s eyes began to fill with tears. 

At the sight of his wife’s tears, he couldn’t help but feel guilty. After all, he knew his wife well. She would never do something like that without some provocation. 

“Why did you do that, Anne?” The accusation in Richard’s voice made Anne turn to face him. Apart of her wanted to be indignant at his words. After all, his behaviour to Elizabeth hadn’t just made her look like a fool but also made her feel like one. That, of course, didn’t excuse her behaviour only explain what had led to it. 

“Why do you care? I won’t be queen for very long. You don’t love me, after all. The entire court knows that.” Anne tried to not sound angry or bitter as she talked but she couldn’t help it.

The look of complete shock on Richard’s face at her words seemed to stop Anne from continuing any further. It hadn’t been the reaction she had expected. 

Looking at Anne straight in the face, Richard’s fear of losing Anne started to intensify. He had told her of his love but his actions must have belied what he’d said. 

“I meant what I said to you, Anne. I have never done anything with Elizabeth. I am simply acting this way in order to make Henry Tudor appear foolish!” Apart of Anne couldn’t help but believe his words. Richard not only sounded sincere but the emotion on his face, helped to reinforce his words. 

Anne desperately wanted to believe him completely but the sight of him dancing with Elizabeth was still fresh on her mind. The idea that Richard could be lying to her was a painful one but after everything that was happening, she couldn’t help but consider it.

She knew he was waiting for her to speak, to tell him what she was thinking but for first time since she had married him, Anne knew not how to reply. 

“What do you want me to say to you?” The exasperation in Anne’s voice was clear as she spoke. 

Anne could see the fear in Richard’s eyes at her words. Perhaps, her love for him was clouding her judgement but as she looked to her husband, she couldn’t help but think he looked as if he loved her. 

The way he was gazing her, almost as if she was his entire reason for existing, was something that she had missed. It had pained her to notice the change in the way he had looked at her. Instead of looking as if he loved her, it had been replaced with something else. Something which had helped sow the seeds of doubt in her mind.   
Without missing a heartbeat, Richard answered her, his voice tight as he did so. 

“Do you believe me?” Every part of Anne wanted to believe him, she really did. Believing him wouldn’t just save her the pain and embarrassment of being replaced but it would also gauge the feeling inadequacy his actions had caused. 

Instead of answering him, directly, Anne tried to turn from him. The sight of him next to her and the smell of him seemed almost disabling. She didn’t want to tell him she believed him when she didn’t. 

However, just as she tried to so, she felt the feeling of Richard’s hand stopping her. His hold wasn’t hard, simply firm.

“You don’t believe me,” The shock in Richard’s voice as he spoke didn’t escape Anne and for a few moments, she couldn’t help but think he sounded hurt. Apart of her wanted to try and comfort him, as wife should but she couldn’t seem to be able to move.

Anne almost misheard Richard as he went on to continue to speak, his voice low as he did so.

“You would never have done that if you believed that I still loved you.” Although, his voice was low, the guilt in his voice was clear. 

His guilty look seemed to make Anne feel even worse. She knew telling him that she did believe him would make him feel better, it wasn’t the truth. As she opened her mouth to speak, she couldn’t bring herself to tell the lie. 

After all, what good would that cause? 

Her conflicting emotions seemed to show upon her face as Richard looked to her. He knew her too well to be mistaken. Richard’s fear of losing his wife was intensifying by the second and when Anne finally spoke, he couldn’t help but be thankful the silence had been broken. 

“I know you want to make Henry Tudor look foolish. Your actions aren’t just doing that, Richard. It’s making me look foolish, too. Forgive me that I can’t believe your words.” The sadness that tinted Anne’s words seemed to hurt Richard more than her words, especially, as he seemed to realise just how much he had hurt her. 

When Anne pulled out of Richard’s grasp, he reluctantly let her out of his grasp. As he did so, he watched her walk away, with a sinking heart. 

The feeling that he’d not only lost her for good raged through, but also that his actions had directly caused it. He knew for certain the consequences of his actions had been far greater than he had ever expected nor wanted. Losing Anne was a price he was unprepared to pay. 

As he contemplated this, he couldn’t help but still feel hope. His love for Anne wasn’t something that would change, nor ever likely to. If he could only convince Anne of his love!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this. :)


End file.
